….with Tara DeMaris

“Daughter”

Our daughter: youngest of four and only girl. The day she was born, her daddy and three brothers agreed to protect her – especially from any “wrong” suitors.

Even as a precious little newborn she claimed her brothers. When she could talk (9 months old) she named them “my boys.” As soon as she could walk (10½ months) she tagged along with her boys on their adventures around our home. If she grew weary, she just climbed into the stroller or bike trailer and they toted her along. At four, she wanted to ride her bike without training wheels so she could keep up with her boys on their adventures. Her brothers removed the training wheels from her bike and stood in a triangular formation in the yard catching her and sending her from one brother to another until she finally pedaled off on her own. When she wanted to make friends with the girl at the end of our street, her brothers began taking turns escorting her down the road to see her new friend, and they still do to this day.

Yes, we do have bickering in our home like any other normal family. There are days she is not included; when the boys just want to be the boys. She’s a typical girl-full of more words in an hour than her boys have in a day, and sometimes she gets a little over temperamental or rebellious, but she knows they will be there through tantrum, trial, and trouble. Her boys protect her, teach her, and care. I don’t know if they have ever even told her that they love her, but I don’t believe she really needs them to.

A few weeks ago, I overheard my children conversing with one of the women in our church. I don’t know what they were really talking about or what this woman had said or asked which prompted our daughter’s response. But, our now eleven-year-old daughter told her, “My brothers and my dad will make sure I marry the right man, they protect me,” and our second son confirmed this. Even better for our daughter, her daddy also confirmed this.

What makes me even more proud is that my daughter now has even more confidence in our LORD than she has in any of her brothers or even her earthly daddy. This is a feeling we should all know. He is the Good Shepherd who cares for us, leads us, nurtures us, and redeems us as in Psalm 23. He is Rock, Savior, Warrior, King of kings, and He is the Lover of our souls. Who cannot flourish in the protection of the LORD? In Him, and only in Him, we may be righteous.

Isaiah 32:17 tells us, “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.”

In His righteousness we can be blessed and confident; we can feel the peace of knowing we are taken care of by the Almighty Jehovah. In Jeremiah 17:7-8 we are told, “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Our daughter – warrior princess for God. Any man who makes it through her daddy and brothers may just survive her, but they better love her Abba a great deal. She has informed me she is going to climb mountains and open stores for sharing Christ with people who are hidden there. I do not doubt her ability to do this because I know where her confidence, strength, and peace come from.

ABBA, I thank you for the husband and family that You have gifted me with here on earth. I thank you more for the promises You have given me and kept. I pray 1 John 3:1-3 right here: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” I ask that you will fill our children with your mighty fire and keep them from the power of the enemy-pure and steadily looking to You, Dear ABBA. In your Son’s name I pray. Amen.

Lorinda Freeman

Lorinda has a passion and desire to teach children about the love of God. She is a homeschooling mom of four and together as a family they work within their church with the children’s programs making sure the hearts of all the children are being taught God’s love for them. Lorinda and her husband, Chris, make their home in Hibbing, Minnesota after Lorinda had endured extensive travel growing up as a Navy “brat”. 1 Thessalonians 2:6-13, “We are not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

Like this:

Post navigation

2 thoughts on ““Daughter””

Wonderful article, it brought a smile to my face as I remembered speaking to my daughter (Tara’s) oldest brother Michael. I remember saying, Michael: Tara is entering high school and I cannot watch out for her there. Please promise me that you will keep the boys away from her that are not good for her. I trusted Michael because he had made a committment to God and had a strong belief in Him. Michael promised he would do that. Sad to say, he may have taken it too far at times, but I know it was out of a deep love for his little sister. She hated that he watched out over. But this Momma is so thankful he did. I just pray that their relationship will be strong to the end, no matter what as brothers and sisters.

Bless you, thank you for sharing this memory. I do wonder sometimes if and when she will grow tired of their protection, but I must admit they have found a nice balance thus far. It is truly a blessing to see God’s work in them, isn’t it?